Reviews by neorunner:

Smell of bottled holiday spices, juniper, and nutmeg along with some roasted malt. Beer is a dark black with a creamy tan head thats extremely persistent and leaves a thick residue on the sides of the glass. The beer has a light body and a residual sweetness offset by a lingering juniper/pine flavor. Malt is apparent in mellow roasted chocolate notes. While tasty I personally have never been a fan of juniper, and that is a key flavor in this beer. However, I expect a good deal of the spices have mellowed since bottling. Subtle dryness remains and allows for a slow enjoyable beer.

More User Reviews:

My second winter warmer/CHRISTmas beer of the season.Poured into a imperial nonic a deep murky chesnut brown with a thinner creamy beige head that held well,aromas are herbal with alot of raw nuttiness,I would say raw fits the nose profile pretty well.A full mouthfeel,it seemed to be lower carbonated,flavors start out sweetish and cakey with juniper, and a sharp herbal note in the finish.A nice cool weather beer here,Iam not a big fan of jupiner berry flavors, but there is a nice mix of other flavors in the profile.

500ml bottle poured into a Duvel tulip on Christmas night, along with some freshie deadmau5. This is the 2009 version.

Pours a dark, dark opaque brown with a small creamy dark head with some nice sticky lacing. Nose is light, spicy and malty with some iron to it.

It's nice and spicy, I had the Stone version about a year ago and it was much more in your face with all the spices, this is much more mellow (not sure if that's because it's the Nøgne-Ø version or because it's been aging longer). Mouthfeel is really nice and creamy, thick and a bit chewy as well. Overall a good holiday beer! My last one for the year!

This beer is a medium brown that lets some orange-red highlights shine through. A compact creamy white head with a yellowish tint is between one and two fingers tall and stable, dropping lacing thinly at first, but thickening in patches as it falls.This beer may have the most unique aroma I've smelled; it's certainly one of the most unique. It's difficult to pick things out without effort; this is a thinking beer. There's some nuttiness to it under a very unusual blanket of grains and spices. Malt makes a strong foundation, and it seems there's an earthy spiciness much like rye. There's a breadiness along with sweetness and a smidge of cooking spices. The spiciness is at a great level and complementary to the malt it supports, adding plenty of depth while mingling so things come out indivivually. Sage comes out strongly too, even more than the pie spice note, and something like pine but more like the needles than the cone.This is one complex beer. As winter warmers go, it's got what it should: a strong malty base and a spiciness that isn't overdone. What it adds is a spruce needle note, rye (I'm assuming; it's pretty discenrable), and something like sesame seeds. Adding in a nice nutty note makes it even better in my opinion.The body is medium and this one is lightly carbonated. It's pretty creamy and has a bit of richness to it along with a little crispness. It goes semi-dry in about the middle.As far as Winter Warmers go, being a catch-all style and made for cold weather, it can only get a little better. This is one of the best I've ever had.

Special Holiday Ale pours a dark chestnut brown color. It's moderately hazy. It has nice rust colored highlights with a little light behind it. A creamy tan head tops it off and stands about two fingers tall. It was slow to dissipate and a left a nice, sticky coat of lace trailing down the glass.

The nose isn't bad, but seems just a tad weak. It's interesting and definitely left of center. Juniper berries are noted and probably drive the 'interesting' aspect. Caramel malts are noted. It smells a tad sweet. There's a hint of a spicy side, but I have no idea what it is. It's too subtle for this nose to identify. Yeast is easily noted. Alcohol is blended well and isn't noticeable at all. Overall, it's okay, but nothing really stands out about it.

The flavor is easily a notch better. It has a caramel malt base that's a little sweet and very sturdy. Juniper berries add an interesting twist to the flavor, as well. I've encountered this flavor in a few beers and it still intrigues me. Spices are noted, but they're not your typical 'holiday' spices. They're secondary and I'm unsure of what they are exactly. Nonetheless, they add a little pizzazz and depth. It's surprisingly bitter. Hops are very much in the mix, whatever variety they may be. Yeast is noted on the tail. Alcohol is masked extremely well. I'm not picking up any at all. Finishes a little spicy, bitter, and sweet.

Special Holiday Ale has a medium body that leans thick with a little warming. It's very smooth and creamy. Mouthfeel is easily the strong suit here. Impressive. Drinkability is good. It performs pretty well in all respects, but it doesn't quite dazzle. I like it, but don't love it.

I had the holiday collaboration between Stone/Jolly Pumpkin/Nøgne Ø last year. Supposedly, it's the same recipe. This release was simply brewed at Nøgne Ø's facilities rather than Stone's. I recall the last release being a little more spicy, but no more tasty. Just a little different. To the best of my recollection, the releases are very similar in terms of quality. The nose could use just a little more strength here, but that's about it. The flavor is good. It's unique for a Winter Warmer. Not what you'd ordinarily expect. I like it. If you see a bottle still around, pick it up. It's good stuff. Perhaps Jolly Pumpkin will do the honors next year.

Appearance-Deep and dark brown with just a hint of reddish highlight when held to the light. Seems to be relatively clear, though is nearly opaque. Thin light tan head with moderate retention and some decent lacing.

Aroma-Some serious spicing going on here, I had to bust into my spice cabinet to do some cross-comparing on this one. The two aromas that seem to define the profile for me are juniper berries and a sort of sweet cardamom scent (it says that they used caraway, but I don't really pick it up in the aroma). Some light roasted malt and piney hops poke through the spice profile, and I catch a whiff of the sage, though I probably wouldn't have identified it as such if they hadn't listed it as an ingredient. For some reason the smell reminds me of holiday mulled cider, and is extremely inviting.

Flavor-Once again, that cardamom/juniper profile dominates, though this time, it fades to allow other flavors to shine through. In the aftertaste, some light nuttiness from the chestnuts and oats emerges, followed by some dark roast flavors (almost a hint of coffee). Wonderfully complex, with quite a long finish.

Mouthfeel-Medium to medium full body is enhanced by the moderately high carbonation. Silky smooth from the oats, and just a bit of smooth, warming alcohol. Awesome.

This is a fantastic beer, but I don't think I could drink a ton of it due to the high spice content. That said, I would be overjoyed to polish off a bottle of this by myself, and even happier to share some with some friends.

Pours a nice dark brown color with a very light tan head that stayed very small through the whole glass.

Smells of a ton of sage. You can smell some nuttiness from the chesnuts. The sage really dominates and I can't smell much else.

Wow. I thought this was going to be a sage bomb. Not that bad. Very nice maltiness and nutty flavor. Little bit of the caraway and sage. The flavor get a little too much after about half a glass though.

Mouthfeel is very nice. Just enough viscosity. Great carb.

Overall it was good to try but half a glass is good for me. It's hard to finish.

Completely blank space follows the Batch nr, Brygget, & Best føre sections on the label, which would be a bigger problem if this wasn't a one-off... This is from the Nøgne Ø bottling of the Special Holiday Ale, so from a 16.9oz bottle. Into the Bruery tulip glass...

A - Very dark opaque mahogany body with a nice two fingers of redish-tan head. Good head retention with no lacing.

T - Sweet caramel and cherry flavors are dominate in the entry, with spice and sage notes following. Before the swallow the swallow, I picked up some rye graininess, notes of banana and nuttiness. The juniper seems present throughout, but really shows in the swallow, along with the hops and a slight alcohol bite. The juniper never really dominates the beer, like it does with so many winter seasonals. The hops are balancing, but allow for a very malty and sweet finish.

M - Silky and soft mouthfeel, with just enough heft to feel full bodied. You can tell they used oats.

D - In a world of over-spiced winter brews, this one is a nice respite. Still spiced, but not to much. They did not just throw a bunch of ingredients into a beer, but crafted a brew that utilized all the ingredients to add to the beer. What results is a well produced beer, that yet somehow misses feeling spectacular, yet I can't seem to pin-point why.

Pours dark brown/black with a nice tan head. Nose is all cloves and spice with lavender undertones and a nose "finish" of sage. Nice nose all around;

Mouthfeel is incredible. Rich, "top of the milk bottle" thick creamy character with big body and texture. Nicest mouth of any holiday ale I've tried. Tastes rich and "expensive." The body along with a perfect balance just makes this feel great in your mouth.

Flavors follow expectations at this point. Rich fruity malt, big spices with the sage standing out but not being overbearing. Flavors are big, rich, full and super complex. You can find carmel, toffee, coffee, fruity malts, sage, carroway, winter spices, licorice, espresso and you can even get hints of the chestnuts and junipers if you look for them.

Finish is very nutty and spicy with cloves and allspice.

Quintessential holiday ale for me. Wouldn't drink it every day but perfect for a few once a year treat at the holidays. This can also age a bit which should be an interesting drink.